Achaius oratorius (FABRICIUS)

A. M, 2011, Illustrated key to the genera of the subtribe Amblytelina of Palaearctic (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae, Ichneumonini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 597-711 : 638-640

Achaius oratorius (FABRICIUS) (Plate 4)

Ichneumon oratorius FABRICIUS 1793 - Entomologiae systematicae 2: 793,.

Amblyteles oratorius: WESMAEL 1844 - Nouv. Mém. Acad. Sci., Bruxelles 18: 116,,.

Achaius oratorius oratorius: TOWNES et al. 1965 - Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 5: 502.

F e m a l e

F l a g e l l u m: Slender, bristle-shaped, with 42 segments, strongly attenuated to apex, first segment 3 times longer than width at apex, with white annulus on segments 6- 12(13), practically not widened and very slightly flattened ventrally beyond white annulus; segments elongated slightly, already segment 9 square from lateral; segments before white annulus distinctly differentiated. Flagellum 1,2 times shorter than front wing and 1,5 times shorter than body length.

H e a d: Head contour from front uniformly narrowed downwards, only just transverse, only 1,1 times wider than height; genae from front visible only just above of eye’s base, genae length from front (malar space) 3,9 times shorter than height of an eye (0,3); head contour from above transverse, 1,7 times wider than length along an external contour, sharply but roundly narrowed backwards behind eyes. Vertex from lateral linearly sloping from hind border of ocelli to occipital carina; temples in middle 1,2 times shorter than longitudinal diameter of an eye, broadened downward; occipital carina sharp all round, from above deeply and roundly impressed, but not reach level of eyes and hind ocelli; hypostomal carina not visible from lateral, occipital carina meeting with hypostomal one before base of mandible; abscissula 1,4 times shorter than mandible base width, malar space equal by length to mandible base width; mandibles narrow, narrowed from base to apex, the most part parallel-sided, with very long upper tooth and short lower one, separated by narrow impression; clypeus only just convex on height of lateral fields, 2 times wider than length, with straight thinned front margin and distinct only just rounded lateral corners, only just visible separated from middle field of face by very slight impression; clypeal foveae sharp, deep; labrum narrow only just protrude from under clypeus, rounded, equal by breadth to front margin of clypeus; middle field of face distinctly elevated above lateral fields, in middle some narrower than lateral fields, separated from them by slight impressions; antennal cavities not big, deeply impressed, merged, almost reach borders of eyes and far not reach front ocellus level, with polished surface, laterally above antennal fossae with distinct tubercles and with smoothed interantennal tubercle; margins of antennal fossae slightly elevated above face surface; frons above antennal cavities impressed medially; ocelli of normal size, diameter of lateral ocellus approximately equal to distance from ocellus to eye; ocellar triangle slightly elevated. Surface of clypeus with sparse punctures, middle and lateral fields densely punctured by big punctures, frons above antennal cavities in middle densely sharply wrinkled, temples smoothly wrinkly-punctured; surface of clypeus and lateral fields underneath with slight shine, temples dull.

T h o r a x: Collar of pronotum from above rather short with straight front margin; transverse furrow of pronotum shallow, narrow; pronotal ridge not swollen, narrow; epomiae sharp; pronotal base gradually curved; lateral surface of pronotum strongly wrinkled with very slight shine. Mesonotum rather strongly convex, only just (1,2 times) longer than width; notauli impressed only at base; surface of mesonotum very densely punctured, dull; axillary tongue not developed; subalarum thin, not sharpened; speculum dull with big punctures; area of mesopleural fovea deeply impressed; mesopleural suture straight, deep, interrupted by rather slight ribs; mesopleurae at bottom with rather distinct but smoothed bend; sternauli in a form of very indistinct broad impressions at base; lower third of mesopleurae sharply longitudinally wrinkly-punctured, middle one wrinkly-punctured, upper one punctured in front, area under subalarum wrinkled, surface of mesopleurae dull; scutellum high elevated above postscutellum and roundly fall backwards with slightly convex horizontal part, laterally not carinated. Hind margin of metanotum with narrow triangular projections opposite of lateral longitudinal carinae. Propodeum distinctly boxshaped with slightly elevated area superomedia, length of horizontal part of propodeum approximately equal to length of area posteromedia in middle; carinae of propodeum, with exception of costulae, sharply expressed; basal area short and deep without tubercle; area superomedia hexagonal, 1,2 times longer than width; areae dentiparae at apices with short, practically not bent upwards teeth (external carina of area dentipara forms short, not bent, denticle without changing direction); spiracles long, slit-shaped, along external contour 3 times longer than width. Surface of propodeum densely wrinkled, dull on the larger part, metapleurae wrinkly-punctured, entirely dull.

L e g s: Slender, long. Claws thin, at apical third sharply curved almost at right angle.

W i n g s: Areolet big, pentagonal, symmetrical; stigma narrow, light; radial cell narrow, long; radius slightly sinuous at apex; nervulus postfurcal; ramulus not expressed (only just marked); veins dark; membrane of wing hyaline. Front wing almost equal by length to flagellum and shorter than body length.

A b d o m e n: Amblypygous, from above longish-oval, apical tergites not hidden; tergite 7 far protrude from under 6th, approximately on its length; second tergite slightly transverse, at apex 1,2 times wider than length; sheath of ovipositor not protrude from above. First tergite from lateral with distinct bend between petiolus and postpetiolus; dorsolateral carina only just marked, dorsal carina sharp, from lateral petiolus sculptured by sharp transversal ribs; from above petiolus sharply, but gradually broadened to triangle postpetiolus; distance between spiracles many more than distance from spiracles to hind margin of tergite; middle field of postpetiolus distinct, but very slightly elevated and not carinated, 3 times wider than lateral fields, its surface irregularly superficially sinuously wrinkled. Gastrocoeli not big and not deep; thyridia sharp, short, parallel to front margin of tergite, 2 times narrower than interval between them, interval equal by breadth to middle field of postpetiolus; lunulae distinct, not big; interspace between thyridia with slight striation, surface of second tergite medially almost up to hind third with indistinct superficial wrinkling, tergite 2 and 3 almost entirely, 4th on the larger part, coriaceous, other tergites smooth. Hypopygium long, overlap slit of ovipositor, with blunted apex; sternite 2 unsclerotized on the larger part, 3rd medially.

C o l o r a t i o n: Body black with brightly-white pattern: frontal orbits with broad spots up to hind border of ocelli, scutellum entirely, spot on middle field of postpetiolus, spots on 6-7th tergites of abdomen; tibiae of all legs with white rings. External orbits usually with reddish stripe.

S i z e: Body length: 13,5; front wing: 10,6; flagellum: 9,0 mm.

M a l e

Flagellum of male slightly ribbed ventrally with narrow tyloides on segments 8-14(15) and white semiannulus. Hypopygium of male apically extended to apex, but without long process. White coloration more expanded: face, clypeus, spots on frontal orbits and genae, collar of pronotum, hind corners of pronotum, subalarum, scutellum and postscutellum, spot on area superomedia (often), bands on apices of tergites 1-3, frequently apical stripes on tergites 4-7, tergites 6-7 with big spots, coxae and trochanters of front and middle legs entirely white, hind ones with white spot ventrally, front and middle legs white on the larger part, hind tibiae with white ring, tarsi with exception of metatarsus white.